ZeroNow, a coalition dedicated to combating school violence and ensuring a safe environment for students and staff, announces that the National Council of School Safety Directors (NCSSD), formerly a program under the ZeroNow umbrella, is being elevated to a 501(c)6 membership organization.
ZeroNow and NCSSD will move forward as sister organizations. NCSSD will provide a collaborative community for school safety professionals, but as a separate entity dedicated to elevating the voice, standards, and professional development of school safety directors across the country.
“In response to the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, ZeroNow was founded to unite leaders in education, technology, and public safety to make a collective impact on security in educational spaces,” said ZeroNow Executive Director Jonathan Kassa. “In 2024, we recognized that K–12 school safety professionals were not receiving the resources, education, and support they needed. In response, we launched the NCSSD program of ZeroNow. Now, it’s time to separately evolve the two in order to support the growth and impact of each program. Both organizations are strengthened by this change.”
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As a professional membership organization, NCSSD will advocate before state and national legislatures for the requirement that every school district employ a certified school security professional. ZeroNow is now a standalone 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank, focused solely on bringing together leaders in education, technology, and public safety to make a collective impact on school safety. Each organization will have its own board of directors and separate bylaws.
“Step One on the ZeroNow Path to Safer Schools advises designating a leader with relevant experience to guide all school safety programs,” said NCSSD program Chair Jason Stoddard. “Spinning off from ZeroNow allows us to dedicate ourselves to a core mission of providing the platform, resources and training needed to lead a sustainable strategic safety program. We’ll be working together with seasoned security specialists from across the country to advance the profession, create model legislation, develop continuing education and continue to administer the Foundations of School Security Leadership Certificate program.”
The key programs initiated by ZeroNow will continue under the new nonprofit think tank, including:
- Path to Safer Schools: A practical guide that distills the collective expertise of diverse stakeholders into seven clear, actionable steps for implementing a comprehensive and holistic approach to school safety.
- National Roundtables: Monthly roundtables with school administrators and safety professionals focusing on key issues facing school safety and security.
- “Conversations” Series: Online panel discussions and podcasts with school safety experts.
- Zero-In Whitepapers: In-depth publications that share the collective knowledge and best practices of the ZeroNow community of school safety stakeholders.
Model Legislation: Guidance that empowers lawmakers to craft informed, effective school safety legislation.
The new designations will allow corporate sponsors to support NCSSD’s work, and for ZeroNow to receive contributions as tax-deductible donations to further the mission. NCSSD dues will remain at $100/year. ZeroNow will not require dues to access its online community.
